Hassle free ski vacations in the Canadian Rockies

Glide gleefully and enjoy winter more with a hassle free ski vacation in the Canadian Rockies. With the summer dockside soaks long gone and snowfall warnings ahead it is time to prepare for that annual Canadian tradition of winter. Follow these tips to make that ski trip better than ever.

Be dwarfed. First and foremost you need snow. But even in Canada, a winter nation, you have to check to make sure the ski resort your planning to visit gets consistent, soft and deep natural snow. Snow from heaven is so much nicer to fall on than snow from hoses. So do your snow homework and find the places that get dumped on. ‘Powder-monium’ happens at places like Whitewater, Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Whistler Blackcomb.

Wet your pants. Both with excitement and ease it is much nicer and truly hassle free to stay in cool digs, ski in and ski out. Just in case you enjoy too much powder or spill your beer during apres fun you can change quickly and not miss another flake. Critical if you have kids as it is a big pain to reload the car each day or scuttle about with gear hanging from your ears on a bus ride to the ski area. So park the car and enjoy all your slope time to the max. Ski in and ski out villages to check out include Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Red Mountain and Fernie Alpine Resort.

Hassle free ski vacation stay slopeside at Fernie Alpine Resort

Push pedals. If you enjoyed too many patio and deck days this summer it is not too late to get in shape for ski season. Most important is start at level that is right for you and avoid all of those go for broke, workout until you puke programs until you have a strong foundation of both cardio and strength. Stay tuned to your Calgary Herald for more on getting ski fit for this winter.

Be dazzled. Terrain variety is the spice of your ski vacation. Check to make sure the ski area you are considering has abundance of terrain to fit the ability level of the skiers and riders in your group. If too little terrain then you run the risk of your group getting bored. As well check the real vertical. Meaning how much of a fall line drop can you enjoy in one single run. As vertical measurements provided by resort don’t actually mean the amount of feet you can enjoy in one run. There is nothing like the experience of skiing big vertical from the mountain top to the bottom. Thigh burning joy can be found at Whistler Blackcomb, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and the Canadian Rockies vertical leader, Fernie Alpine Resort.

Deals. Once you have found the ski resort that gets snow, has incredible variety of terrain and has ski in and ski out lodging then start your research on best ski vacation deals. Start with the actual ski resort as sometimes they are able to offer the best complete deal on lodging and ski lift packages. Don’t wait around to long as many ski resorts have book early and save specials that typically offer the best deal for the upcoming winter. If you are planning a ski vacation for prime holiday time then you absolutely need to book as early as possible to get the space you want as peak periods usually sell out. Most ski areas offer savings on lift tickets if you purchase in advance and sometimes these savings can be considerable and really add up if you are taking the whole gang. So ask the vacation specialist or check on line for advance lift ticket savings.

Matt Mosteller is better known as Powder Matt through his blog at PowderMatt.com. He spends his days on the slopes working at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Check out this adventure lover’s first book at mattmosteller.org.

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